McDermott: Locke can ‘make His mark’ in China

He plays golf with President Obama, but U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Lock will get no “walk in the park” as the new Ambassador to China, Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., said Monday night.

“He has been selected for a huge job,” McDermott said. Locke has been governor of Washington and a cabinet member, but the Beijing appointment is “the opportunity to make his mark,” McDermott added.

President Barack Obama has set a goal of doubling U.S. exports as a way for the country to work its way out of the Great Recession.

“China is our biggest customer and Washington is second after California in dealings with China,” McDermott said.

Washington has played host to two Chinese presidents as well as the late “senior leader” Deng Xiaoping. Taking a page from the playbook of U.S. presidents on trips abroad, China’s then-President Jiang Zemin visited the home of a Boeing worker in Marysville.

Is Locke, a sometimes bland politician, up to the job? “He’s been Commerce Secretary so he’s dealt with China on trade issues,” McDermott said. “We’s worked three seats down the Cabine table. The president knows him.

As for Locke, the congressman added, “Gary can be very determined, very capable and very, very focused. He’ll need to be. He will face a big challenge, a huge challenge.”